Two boats carrying more than 500 people may have capsized off Myanmar’s coast in recent days, UN agencies said on Thursday, as refugees from the war-torn country make perilous maritime journeys in search of safety and better lives.

The two vessels left Myanmar’s Rakhine State in late June carrying mostly ethnic minority Rohingya passengers, reportedly including some from refugee camps in Bangladesh, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) said in a joint statement, citing preliminary information.

More than 500 were feared dead, it said.

“While the incidents and casualty figures have yet to be officially confirmed, UNHCR and IOM are gravely concerned by the potentially devastating loss of life.”

Driven away by violence at home and desperate conditions in crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh, Myanmar’s long-persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority have, for years, risked their lives on flimsy wooden vessels, hoping to reach safety and the opportunity of livelihoods in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

Nearly 900 Rohingya refugees died or went missing in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal last year, making it the world’s deadliest maritime route for refugees and migrants, according to the UN.

Hazardous sea conditions

In the latest incidents, the first boat, with about 250 people on board, lost contact shortly after departure and a second vessel carrying about 280 people was believed to have sunk off Myanmar’s Irrawaddy coast on July 8, the UN agencies said.

“These journeys took place outside the regular sailing season, when maritime conditions are typically more hazardous,” the statement said.

The Rohingya exodus from Rakhine started in 2017 after the Myanmar military launched an offensive in the border province, leading to at least 730,000 seeking shelter in neighbouring Bangladesh.

While Myanmar denies committing abuses against the Rohingya, it refuses to recognise them as citizens, claiming the minority group are illegal immigrants. Their plight has been worsened by a 2021 military coup in Myanmar, which led to a widespread civil war that has included Rakhine, with its Rohingya population caught in the crossfire between government troops and the rebel Arakan Army.

UNHCR and IOM said nearly 300 people are reported to be missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal this year, including Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals.

In November, a boat carrying members of Rohingya community sank off Langkawi near the Thailand-Malaysia border, with about a dozen survivors.